Seven Degrees of Separation
by Cherurin
Summary: Kagome... where have you been? Why do you feel so... different? What did he do to you? I promised to protect you and yet I... I failed you. And you suffered for it. I'm so sorry...


Naraku's body pulsed as he greedily swallowed up demon after wretched demon, absorbing them into his bubbling mass of newly-formed flesh. It was a meticulous task he was forced to undergo fairly often these days, and it was no less boring. As Inuyasha grew in strength, rebuilding his body became a daily routine. And he knew that it was pointless. He knew that he would waste more minutes than he could count, only to have his body torn right back up in a ferocious game of cat and mouse, destined to repeat such a pathetic cycle until one of them lucked upon a slight advantage, small but enough to send the other straight into Hell. Fuck, it wasn't going to be him. Oh hell no, not Naraku; not while he still had business to finish in the land of the living. Of all possible weaknesses Inuyasha held, Naraku knew of only one. That human bitch, Kikyo's reincarnation. She was the key.

"Kanna," He whispered, "Bring me Kanna."

* * *

The jewel shard was so close now she could taste it. Kagome squeezed Inuyasha's broad shoulders as they entered a clearing in the forest.

"It's coming from the left!"

Before the miserable centipede demon even had a chance to strike, Inuyasha's claws had already ripped it apart in a single bloodstained stroke.

"Keh, the damned thing didn't put up much of a fight." Inuyasha grunted, flicking the blood from his claws.

Miroku lowered his head and uttered a simple prayer, more out of respect than anything else. "Perhaps it is you who are too strong, Inuyasha."

"No," he replied, "I'm not strong enough. Not yet. Kagome, did you get the jewel shard?"

Kagome shook her head. Of course she hated having to sift through bloody remains, but she hated the thought of losing another shard all the same. After all, it was her fault that the jewel was in a million pieces in the first place. She still hadn't completely forgiven herself for that one no matter how many times Inuyasha insisted that it couldn't have been avoided. _You're just a stupid human_, he would say, _It's in your nature to fuck up_. She still couldn't tell if he was reassuring her or mocking her. As much trouble as it was, Kagome couldn't help but marvel at the shard's brilliance as it twinkled in her hand, instantly purified by her touch.

"You got it? Good. We're going." Inuyasha said firmly as he gathered the girl up on his back. He was anxious; she was sure of it with the way she felt his heart throbbing through his back. What was he scared of? It wasn't like Inuyasha to be afraid, save for the time when they battled the Band of Seven two years ago. She recalled when the group nearly died at the hands of Mukotsu's poison. In the weeks following, Inuyasha had been particularly kind, especially to her. If not before, he proved then the extent of his feelings for his friends. Kagome couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"Hey stupid, what are you laughing at back there?" Inuyasha scoffed. She shook her head, nothing, she murmured into his hair. His face flashed bright red at the sudden contact.

_Dammnit_, he thought. _It's already starting to get to me._

Inuyasha's pace doubled in speed and Kirara could barely keep up. Kagome struggled as well, digging her fingernails into his haori in a desperate attempt to keep herself grounded.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Hey, what gives?"

"Shut up," he growled. "I just want to get back to Kaede's as soon as possible."

"Why?"

"Inuyasha," Miroku called out, "Is tonight the night of the new moon?" His question answered itself when he received no answer.

"I see. Tonight he's going to turn into a regular human." Sango said softly.

Which irritated the hanyou even more.

Inuyasha folded his arms under Kagome's legs as tightly as he could and took off. He was ashamed of his weakness and was in no mood to discuss it. He wasn't worried about his human comrades getting lost - they weren't far away from the village anyways. A short while later, he became aware of the fact that Kagome had somehow fallen asleep.

_What an idiot_, he smiled. Her breath tickled the back of his neck and he felt his anger melt away like ice left out in the sun too long. She was the only person who had the power to put him at ease and drive away every negative feeling that piled up inside him. It was almost as if being with her purified him the same way she purified jewel shards and demons. It was... comforting. And he liked that she made him feel that way. Unlike Kikyo, she didn't expect him to be anything more than the man he was. Hanyou or not, she stayed with him. From the day he met her, actually, she never showed any indication of fear or hatred. She gave him a place where he could be himself, and that was all he ever wanted, all he ever _needed_. Maybe it was her that he needed all along.

They remained this way until they reached the village, human and hanyou in perfect harmony. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't question that Miroku and the others were already back at Kaede's long before he returned. Somewhere his pace had slowed, completely opposite to his pulse, and his mind stayed back in the forest even after his body left it. The wind had started to pick up, and Inuyasha didn't hesitate to bring Kagome, who had already woken up, into the small hut.

The dark sky dropped upon them like a blanket, the sun dipping out of the sky at breakneck speed, leaving behind a trail of illuminated baby stars in its absence. Inuyasha had long since decided to wait out the cursed night outside. Alone. He hated being alone, probably more than anything else. After all, he had been alone his whole life. His whole life, that is, until he met Kagome. He was pissed as all hell when she was thrust upon him like an unwanted child. He was pissed that some bitch who looked like his dead lover had stormed into his life, tossed some stupid ass beads across his neck and dropped him any chance she got, and forced him to help her find the pieces of a jewel that _she_ broke. But perhaps his whole life he was just waiting for this storm. After she started tagging along, they met Shippo and Miroku and Sango and Kirara. And before he knew it, he wasn't alone anymore.

Yet on nights like this, the only thing he wanted was to be left alone. His human night. His weakness. Even though Inuyasha decided he didn't want the jewel for power anymore, sometimes he wondered if that was what he really wanted. If he was a full fledged demon, no doubt he would be strong. He would have respect. He could protect his friends without failure. He could protect _her_.

But what if when he lost his human half, lost touch with humans altogether?

What if he hurt her?

It was something that sat in the back of his mind like a boulder, something that terrified him down to his bones. He feared the day when he wouldn't be able to control himself. Hell, as a hanyou he already faced this risk every time he was separated from Tessaiga. He couldn't imagine what would happen if Tessaiga couldn't stop him anymore.

Inuyasha's ears twitched and he quickly became aware of Kagome, standing at the base of the tree he took refuge in tonight. She was shivering, he could tell. Yet she came all the way out here to find him.

"Inuyasha?" Her gentle voice called out, although she knew where he was even if she didn't ask. She always knew.

Inuyasha replied with a grunt. "Get back inside. You'll catch a cold."

"I'm not cold." She said plainly. She was lying. She couldn't fool him, even if he _was_ human tonight.

When he didn't answer, Kagome looked up to catch a glimpse of the black-haired man, his face intentionally turned away from her.

"Why do you push us away?"

"What?"

Kagome let out an audible sigh. Inuyasha felt a pang of guilt, knowing he was the reason behind it.

"Who's pushing you away? Stupid bitch. I'm right here, ain't I?"

She shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet. "Sometimes it doesn't feel like it."

He was staring her down now. Even in the blackness of the moonless night, he could still stare into the deep blue of her eyes as if it was still day. He traced the outline of her figure. She looked sad somehow.

"Look, whatever it is you're thinking, get it out of your head." he growled. Maybe it was the human in him tonight, or maybe he had finally lost his senses, but he wanted so desperately to hold her and before he could even think, she was in his arms. She smelled so good, even to a human, and his arms fit comfortably across the small of her back. Her breath hitched in her throat as he pulled her towards him. Her chest felt soft pressed against his chest, the way her breathing slowly pressed it against his own.

"Inuyasha?"

He nuzzled into the nape of her neck in response, not willing speak out of fear that this moment would end all too quickly. Even if it was only for tonight, she was here with him. She was his.

Kagome's ears rang and she silently begged for it to stop. A jewel shard was close, she knew it. The feeling revolted her. It was something she had experienced too many times before. An impenetrable evil with a desire to consume.

Naraku.

She wasn't entirely sure it was him, even as chills coursed through every vein in her body. She would have preferred to ignore it and throw herself into the warmth of Inuyasha's body, she had been waiting for this moment for too long.

But that wasn't how things were going to be. The wind changed direction. She hesitated.

"Inuyasha?" She pinned her arms between their bodies before pushing away.

He stared back, confused. "Kagome, what's wrong?"

She turned, trying to mask the fear that washed over her. It was a good thing he was only human right now. No, if he was still a hanyou, there would be no reason to be afraid. After all, right now the one in danger wasn't her.

"Nothing," she said. "Let's get back to the others. Poor Shippo is probably upset about us being gone so long."

He grabbed her wrist and dragged her back against his chest. "No. I want to stay here a bit longer."

Kagome mentally cursed Inuyasha for not choosing a better time to be sensitive.

"Inuyasha, please. I'm tired and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

He refused to break away, instead keeping Kagome even closer than before. The shard was too close now; time was running out. She didn't want to wait for whatever it was to come out. It was bad enough that Kagura already knew about Inuyasha's secret, unless she was on her way to finish the job. She heard leaves ruffle only a few feet away. Out of desperation, Kagome shoved Inuyasha back with all her strength and sent him tumbling into a thicket.

"Oi, what the fuck was that for?!" He growled.

Seeing Inuyasha move to get back up, Kagome cried out, _'sit!'_ until she was short of breathe, at least thirty times she calculated.

_Good, he won't be moving for a while_, she thought.

What ever had that tainted jewel shard Kagome had felt earlier was somewhere in the trees, waiting to make its move. When nothing lunged at the intruder, it stepped out in front of the human girl.

"How amusing," it hissed, its voice dripping with venomous intent. "Inuyasha is not with you?"

"No." Kagome shot back.

Naraku moved closer to her, a grin settling itself across his face. "I see, so he lets his pet run around unsupervised? How irresponsible."

"I'm not his pet."

"Oh, but you aren't his bitch either, are you?"

Kagome's face burned. He wasn't wrong.

When she didn't speak, he continued, "You can never replace Kikyo, yet you still try. Humans truly are pathetic creatures. That Onigumo was no different from you, and such lead to his untimely demise."

Kagome could have sworn that for just a moment, her heart stopped beating entirely.

"Shut up! You don't know anything!" she cried, notching an arrow in her bow. "I am _not_ Onigumo! I know that Inuyasha loves Kikyo, but I still want to be by his side!" Salty tears splashed across her face as she let go of her arrow and sent it spiraling towards the baboon-faced monster. In an instant, the abyss came crashing down on her, consuming her.

"I wonder how true that is."


End file.
